Compilation of Meraj Muhammad Khan’s writings launched

It was obvious from day one that the socialist politician Meraj Muhammad Khan would leave the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), but what was baffling was his decision to join a party led by a proclaimed rightist politician, Imran Khan, in the first place, according to scholar and activist Jami Chandio.

Chandio said Meraj always said the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) was formed at the military establishment’s behest, but when the party took a stand against the Taliban, Meraj supported the MQM. In the fight between two fascists, we cannot support any one fascist, he added.

The scholar was speaking at the launch of ‘Nigaar-e-Sahar Ki Hasrat Mein’ — a compilation of revolutionary political leader Meraj’s essays, interviews and other documents, including his autobiography ‘Taareekh Bolti Hai’ — at the Karachi Arts Council on Sunday. Besides compiling and editing the book, Dr Syed Jaffar Ahmed has also written the preface to it.

Chandio said the book has a lot of information on Pakistan’s political history and economy. “The book has a debate; we can disagree with it,” he said, adding that in today’s Pakistan we see superficial analysis, but an in-depth objective one is rare. He pointed out that Dr Ahmed has presented an analysis of an era that is extremely insightful.

The scholar said Meraj had quit the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and his documented reason is included in the book. He said Meraj referred to PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto as Hitler. Although Bhutto was not a complete socialist, he was not Hitler either, he added.

He also said Meraj would not see Pakistan for its local problems only, rather he would look at it through an international lens. Meraj left the PPP because Bhutto failed to implement the agricultural reforms he had promised, he added. “Meraj believed Pakistan needs genuine reforms in the agricultural sector.”

Chandio said people like Meraj, who were progressive thinkers back in the ’60s, thought Bhutto was a socialist. “This was a historical blunder which they all realised later.” Journalist Mazhar Abbas said on the occasion that when Meraj had joined the PTI, he had told him he was joining a party that had supported a dictator.

Abbas said he had witnessed Meraj addressing a crowd at an MQM rally at the Jinnah Ground, adding that he had not sounded any less than any of the MQM’s traditional leaders. Although Meraj made some political blunders, he never resorted to politics for any financial gains, and was a true leftist, added the journalist.

Author Dr Tahira Khan said that in the 1960s the leftist movement was being formed in Pakistan. She recalled that when she had graduated from university in the 1970s, General Zia was ruling the country, and they had thought all the progressive thinking would come to an end.

Dr Tahira said the book is a formation of thoughts for the current youth of the country. She said the book documents not only Meraj’s struggles with leftist politics but also the struggle of the entire leftist movement in the country.

She said Meraj was a committed and ideological leader of the leftist movement. Dr Ahmed has compiled Meraj’s personality in the book, she added. Rights activist Anis Haroon said that the time Meraj spent with Bhutto and with the National Students Federation is all included in the book.

Anis said Dr Ahmed has collected all the memories from that period and compiled them into the book, otherwise they would have been scattered. She said Dr Ahmed’s essay in the book is excellent, discussing the resources of Pakistan that we are still grappling with today.